This aloe struck me as a metaphor for, and literal demonstration of, the impressions left by our closest friends, family and relationships.
As the leaves grow and spread out, you can clearly see the imprints from a time when they were bound tightly together. Sometimes embracing, sometimes pressing gently into each others' spines.
So do we pick up the habits, speech, fears and insights of others, carrying them indelibly into the future. So are we molded and scarred.